


A Different Hell

by distractionpie



Series: Band Of Brothers Week [3]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, Hospitals, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 01:13:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9855485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distractionpie/pseuds/distractionpie
Summary: Webster's time away.Band of Brothers Week Day 3 - Character.





	

The hospital was hell, day after day laying surrounded by the pained moans of men who disappeared in the night – into other wards or to coffins he’d daren't ask. In fact, he’d asked as little as he could of the hard faced nurses with false smiles that couldn’t hide the horror that they've witnessed. His wound had healed quickly, and he’d been so close to getting out, to getting back to the line where things would still be hell but the company would be better, and then he’d woken one morning to find himself sweating. 

The fever had claimed him fast, by dinner he’d been shaking and unable to eat, the next morning when he dragged his eyes open he’d been gazing up at an unfamiliar ceiling, had become one of those disappeared men. For days he’d faded in and out, burning up and shaking with icy cold by turns, the sound of artillery ringing in his ears. And then, as fast as it had begun, the infection cleared. But it was too late. According to the weary doctor who checked in on him, his wound had been inflamed and he needed to be transferred to another hospital for physical therapy, and by the time he'd recovered from that the news has come in that Easy are surrounded and there’s no going back. 

He ends up in the replacement depot, not sure where he's going to be reassigned to or who he's going to have at his back. He's only 22, but standing next to him some of these replacements look like children. They tell him that they're eighteen, nineteen years old, and fresh out of boot camp no two years of specialised training for them. Some of them are eager for combat and some of them are dreading it, but all of them are wide eyed and naïve to the reality they face.  

Some of them, he learns after a few weeks, would rather have stayed out of the whole damn thing and complained bitterly about being drafted, and he wants to hate them, because who needs to be forced to serve and defend their country, why didn't they sign up before, but they're all just so damn young. 

David's never thought of himself as brave, he's no stand-out among the Easy guys and he's been happy with it that way, but compared to some of these boys who look like they want to be home and hiding in their mothers' skirts, he’s a goddamn action hero. Half these kids hold their weapons like their own gun might hurt them, and he dreads the thought of sharing a foxhole or holding the line with them, hopes like hell he’ll be reassigned someplace with guys he can rely on. Easy would be best, they’ve got good leaders, good men, and there’s no better company than Hoobler; but he could resign himself to ending up back with Fox or second battalion’s HQ company again, even Dog would do, as long as he can see familiar faces, guys who went through Toccoa and jumped on D-day, his guys. 

But all he can do is wait. 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Between Hell and Heaven (Lies Only Pain)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14367459) by [Hannahmayski](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannahmayski/pseuds/Hannahmayski)




End file.
